Crop-extraction system having an unmanned aerial vehicle, and related methods

Abstract

A crop-extraction system includes a crop-conveying medium, a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles tethered together and configured to suspend the crop-conveying medium in air, and at least one crop-extraction device configured to extract crop and transfer the crop to the crop-conveying medium. Other crop-extraction systems include a ground vehicle carrying a storage bin, a crop-conveying medium coupled to the ground vehicle, and an unmanned aerial vehicle coupled to the crop-conveying medium and configured to extract crop and transfer the crop to the crop-conveying medium for deposit into the storage bin. Related methods are also disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A crop-extraction system, comprising:
 a crop-conveying medium;   a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles tethered together and configured to suspend the crop-conveying medium in air; and   at least one crop-extraction device configured to extract crop and transfer the crop to the crop-conveying medium.   
     
     
         2 . The crop-extraction system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one crop-extraction device comprises an extracting unmanned aerial vehicle configured to operate at least partially independent of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles. 
     
     
         3 . The crop-extraction system of  claim 2 , wherein the extracting unmanned aerial vehicle carries at least one sensor configured to identify the crop. 
     
     
         4 . The crop-extraction system of  claim 2 , wherein the extracting unmanned aerial vehicle comprises at least one crop-extraction device selected from the group consisting of a vacuum tube and a robotic arm. 
     
     
         5 . The crop-extraction system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the one or more crop-extraction device comprises a robotic arm configured to extract the crop from vegetation. 
     
     
         6 . The crop-extraction system of  claim 5 , further comprising at least one sensor configured to identify the crop in cooperation with the robotic arm. 
     
     
         7 . The crop-extraction system of  claim 1 , wherein the crop-conveying medium is angled to cause flow of crop driven at least partially by gravity. 
     
     
         8 . The crop-extraction system of  claim 1 , wherein the crop-conveying medium comprises at least one medium selected from the group consisting of a static conveyor, a moving conveyor, and a vacuum tube. 
     
     
         9 . The crop-extraction system of  claim 1 , further comprising a vehicle configured to convey a storage bin, the storage bin configured to receive the extracted crop from the crop-conveying medium. 
     
     
         10 . The crop-extraction system of  claim 1 , wherein the crop-conveying medium is foldable and located on each side of the vehicle, and wherein the at least one crop-extraction device is configured to be nested to the crop-conveying medium. 
     
     
         11 . A method of extracting crop from vegetation, the method comprising:
 operating a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles tethered together and suspending a crop-conveying medium in air;   extracting the crop from the vegetation with at least one crop-extraction device; and   transferring the extracted crop from the at least one crop-extraction device to the crop-conveying medium.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising transferring the extracted crop along the crop-conveying medium to a storage bin. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein transferring the extracted crop along the crop-conveying medium comprises causing a wave action of the crop-conveying medium. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein extracting the crop from the vegetation with at least one crop-extraction device comprises extracting the crop with another unmanned aerial vehicle. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein extracting the crop from the vegetation with at least one crop-extraction device comprises extracting the crop with a device selected from the group consisting of a vacuum tube and a robotic arm. 
     
     
         16 . A crop-extraction system, comprising:
 a ground vehicle carrying a storage bin;   a crop-conveying medium coupled to the ground vehicle; and   an unmanned aerial vehicle coupled to the crop-conveying medium and configured to extract crop and transfer the crop to the crop-conveying medium for deposit into the storage bin.   
     
     
         17 . The crop extraction system of  claim 16 , wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises at least one crop-extraction mechanism selected from the group consisting of a vacuum tube and a robotic arm. 
     
     
         18 . The crop extraction system of  claim 16 , wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to move up and down to cause a wave action of the crop-conveying medium to transfer crop to the storage bin. 
     
     
         19 . The crop-extraction system of  claim 16 , wherein the crop-conveying mechanism comprises a vacuum. 
     
     
         20 . The crop-extraction system  claim 16 , further comprising a plurality of crop-conveying media, each coupled to one of a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, wherein operation of each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles is independent of other of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, wherein each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles is tethered to reel from which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies when activated.